Method and apparatus for telephony-enabled instant messaging

• US 20020071539A1
• Filed: 12/12/2000
• Published: 06/13/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: AT&T, Inc.
• Original Assignee: AT&T, Inc.
• Inventors: Saraswat, Vijay, Diament, Marc
• Application Number:
  US09/733,971
• Publication Number:
  US 20020071539A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/202.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1818 Conference organisation arrangements, e.g. handling schedules, setting up parameters needed by nodes to attend a conference, booking network resources, notifying involved parties
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4536 Voicemail combined with text-based messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42008 Systems for anonymous communication between parties, e.g. by use of disposal contact identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/569 using the instant speaker's algorithm speech detection per se G10L25/78
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0045 where the text-based messaging service is an instant messaging service

Abstract

A method and apparatus provide a service for permitting parties to engage in instant messaging and to allow parties so engaged to initiate a separate telephone call which may be billed. According to one method a server, referred to as a Phone Web server acts as an interface between a computer user and a telephone user. The interface is coupled to an instant messaging platform enabling the two users to exchange instant messages. One user can prompt the other to suggest the initiation of a telephone call. If the other party accepts the suggestion then the Phone Web server brokers a phone call between the two parties. In a variation of this embodiment both users could be communicating via computers and can launch the telephone initiation process.

Claims

1. A method for controlling communication connections between two parties, comprising:

establishing an instant messaging communication connection between a first party and a second party;

receiving a request from one of said first party and said second party to initiate a telephone call between the two parties;

forwarding the request to the other one of said first party and said second party;

receiving a positive response to said request from said other one party; and

brokering a telephone call between said first party and said second party based on said request and said response.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said first party uses a telephone device in said instant messaging connection and said second party uses a computer in said instant messaging connection.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising, receiving a text message from said second party;

converting said text message to speech; and

transmitting said speech to said first party.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising,

receiving a signal based on a DTMF signal from said first party;

and said brokering step includes,

initiating, in response to said reduced DTFM-based signal, a phone connection to said second party and

bridging a phone connection to said first party with said phone connection to said second party.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said first party uses a first computer in said instant message connection and said second party uses a second computer in said instant messaging connection.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein said request from the first party comprises a URL to a server page.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said positive response includes a request to access said server page.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said brokering includes launching a conference call to a first telephone device associated with said first party and to a second telephone device associated with said second party.

9. A method for enabling a telephone connection between two parties comprising:

providing a first communication path between the two parties;

transporting a message from a first party to a second party requesting a telephone connection between the parties;

accepting a command from said second party to initiate a conference call between said first party and said second party;

initiating a telephone call to said first party; and

bridging said telephone call to a telephone connection to said second party.